DENVER — A record 36.3 million visitors made their way to the Mile High City last year, marking a 15% increase over 2021, Visit Denver announced Wednesday.
Those visitors generated $9.4 billion for the city, surpassing the previous record of $7 billion spent in 2019.
“Tourism continues to be a key economic driver for our city, and we are pleased to see travel demand return in such a big way,” said Richard W. Scharf, president and CEO of Visit Denver in a statement. “In many regards, travel was a significant bright spot for our local economy in 2022, creating record spending at local businesses, generating millions in state and local taxes, and supporting tens of thousands of jobs.”
Nearly 20 million visitors in 2022 stayed overnight, a 20% increase over 2021, according to Visit Denver. Those overnight visitors spent roughly $8 billion, a 45% increase over the previous year. Roughly 76% of the overnight leisure travelers were from out of state.
Most out-of-state visitors came from California, followed by Texas and Arizona. Florida and Kansas rounded out the top five.
Red Rocks was the top visitor attraction, followed by the Denver Zoo and Downtown Aquarium. Below are the top 10 attractions, according to Visit Denver:
- Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre
- Denver Zoo
- Downtown Aquarium
- Denver Museum of Nature & Science/IMAX Theater
- Denver Botanic Gardens
- Meow Wolf
- Colorado Rockies
- Denver Art Museum
- Denver Performing Arts Complex
- Denver Union Station
